New England States Form Interstate Transmission Siting Collaborative

June 23, 2011 – The New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE) announces the formation of the New England Interstate Transmission Siting Collaborative (Collaborative). The purpose of the Collaborative is to consider and to implement as appropriate means to increase coordination of states’ siting processes required for interstate transmission facilities in New England.

In recent years, the New England states have reviewed, approved and sited significant new transmission facilities. Since 2002, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont have sited about $4 billion dollars in new transmission facilities. There is another $5 billion dollars in new transmission projects under study or construction throughout the region. Other transmission projects may emerge to deliver clean energy to our load centers.

In the New England Governors’ Renewable Energy Blueprint (Blueprint), New England identified the potential to facilitate development of the region’s no and low-carbon resources by better coordinating transmission siting processes. The Blueprint concluded that the states’ distinct substantive and procedural statutory requirements prescribe in large part the way in which state siting review processes must proceed. However, the same laws, to varying degrees, present opportunity for interstate coordination. To the extent state siting approvals can be coordinated within the bounds of state law, interstate transmission projects, including those that may emerge as the most cost-effective way to deliver the region’s renewable power to consumers, could be sited more efficiently.

The Collaborative will work on advancing the coordination concepts identified in the Blueprint. Early work will include outreach to New England’s transmission owners and developers to consider their views on coordination opportunities that may be most effective from an interstate transmission project proponent’s perspective.

The New England state representatives to the Collaborative who will guide NESCOE’s work in this area include the following individuals:

Connecticut: Kevin DelGobbo, Chairman, Connecticut Department of Public Utilities Control

Maine: Thomas L. Welch, Chairman, Maine Public Utilities Commission

Massachusetts: Rebecca Tepper, General Counsel, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and former Executive Director, Massachusetts Energy Facility Siting Board

New Hampshire: Thomas Getz, Chairman, New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission

Rhode Island: Nick Ucci, Principal Policy Analyst, Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission and Coordinator, Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board

Vermont: John Behling, Attorney, Vermont Department of Public Service